On The Shelf
Friday, July 22, 2005
The man responsible for giving form to Batman passed away. James Aparo had many comic credit to his name including the Green Arrow.
"Apparently, not even Harry Potter can trick Uncle Sam. Amid celebrations of high returns on the latest addition to J.K. Rowling’s mega-selling fantasy series, children’s publisher Scholastic is dealing with some not-so-happy news about the operation of its book clubs. The Federal Trade Commission announced today that the publisher has settled with the government body, for the amount of $710,000, over a claim that it misrepresented the way its book clubs operate." {via Book Standard}
"Letters written by DH Lawrence are among documents made accessible online by the University of Nottingham after a major cataloguing and preservation programme." The article concludes with a link to the online collection.
The Guardian Unlimited has posted an article about how the Internet, at one time thought to be the potential downfall of print writers, is actually being used to further the appeal of print materials and the authors behind their creation.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
With today marking the release of J.K. Rowling's latest, the book world is clogged with articles about Harry Potter. The book is breaking and setting records, fans are flocking, etc. But if you want to read just one, one that captures the spirit of what Harry has done for children/teens/adults, I've got just that one. It would have to be an article written by a high school student in West Virginia in which a $10 bet and a certain boy wizard transforms a struggling reader into a life-long reader. (Also of interest...The Guardian Unlimited held a contest asking readers to write Dumbledore's death scene in the style of an author other than Rowling. They've posted some of the entries. Give them a try!)
When Hunter S. Thompson passed away, his last wishes were that his ashes be shot out of a cannon. So who, exactly, will be paying for a 150 ft structure that is being built to do just that? Reportedly none other than actor Johnny Depp who played Thompson in a film version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
"A Kingston author has set his most recent novel in the Great Depression, an era that he says will always resonate with readers." Where Somebody Waits for Me by Donald L. Angell talks about his family history during that generation, and how it affected the country as a whole.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
For some reason, I just couldn't resist posting this article about Meghan Cleary and her book, The Perfect Fit: What Your Shoes Say About You. Gentleman, I know you're going to feel left out, but this book covers mostly women's shoes. However, if you've ever wanted to know what a woman who wears cowboy boots is like personality-wise...give the book a go!
"Tell John Irving his latest book is too long and he'll look as though he's contemplating tossing you to the ground in a figure-four leg lock, followed by a crushing arm bar." As it turns out, Irving was at some point in his life a wrestling champion. The National Post (Canada) has a very interesting article about his latest novel, Until I Find You.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
"While vacationing in a village outside Hamburg, mystery author Eleanor Rosellini's son happened upon an overgrown observatory that stuck out among the manicured gardens surrounding their guest house." Rosellini was struck by the house and all of the things that might have transpired inside. The resulting thoughts the author had led to the soon to be released book in her children's mystery series, The Hidden Treasure Mysteries.
Bookreporter.com has chosen Tilly Bagshawe's new novel, Adored, as their new pick for "Beach Bag of Books." The supplied link will take you to a page with a synopsis of the novel, an interview with the author, and an excerpt from the book.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Author Evan Hunter, perhaps better known as Ed McBain, died of cancer this past Wednesday. "He was diagnosed with throat cancer three years ago and also had had three heart attacks and triple-bypass surgery. He was 78."
The Wisconsin State Journal takes a look at Orson Scott Card and his latest offering, Magic Street. Card is best known for his novel, Ender's Game, and he firmly believes that sci-fi/fantasy isn't about escapism. "'I don't think of what I do or what any of the science fiction and fantasy writers do as being escapism. Quite the contrary. I know that I'm writing literature, and my readers know as well'."
"Julian Barnes's latest novel tells the story of Arthur Conan Doyle's real-life detective adventure. He tells Stuart Jeffries why he chose that particular eminent Edwardian - and why he won't be reading the reviews, good or bad" Stuart Jeffries is reporting for The Guardian Unlimited and the name of the novel is Arthur and George. This one is going on my list!
The Guardian also takes a look at Doris Lessing's new novel, The Story of General Dann and Maria's Daughter and the Snow Dog.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
You may have noticed a countdown to the next Harry Potter release over to the right --->
That is for Kim, our resident Harry fanatic!
That is for Kim, our resident Harry fanatic!
Friday, July 01, 2005
With only fifteen days left till the release of the next Harry Potter novel, the book world is going crazy. Numerous articles have emerged recently stating that this installment may break records. Bloomsbury, the UK publishing house behind the boy wizard novels, is preparing a massive publicity campaign (though it hardly seems necessary at this point,) which will be brought to a close by a reading of the new book by the author herself. In other Harry news, it looks like our young Potter is popular enough to warrant notice by the Oxford Dictionary.
Historian and author Shelby Foote passed away at the age of 88. "Following a brief graveside service, Foote was buried on a tree-covered hill in Elmwood Cemetery, one of the South's most historic graveyards and the burial ground for more than 1,000 Civil War soldiers, including 22 generals."
"Julia Roberts snapped up the film rights to British author Tony Parson's new novel and commissioned him to turn it into screenplay - before he'd even finished writing it." So what, exactly, is so great about The Family Way? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
CityPulse takes a look at mystery writer, Sara Paretsky. It also takes a look at a bear that was seen in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
"The chief curator of France's national library was questioned by police yesterday as it emerged that the establishment is missing at least 30,000 books and manuscripts, including nearly 2,000 considered to be of 'exceptional historical value'." For his part, the curator, Michel Garel, has denied any involvement in the theft of these items.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
How does a company market a science fiction-tinged novel that it thinks could be the next Da Vinci Code if the author refuses to do publicity? By pretending the book is a movie." Makes sense, right? Okay, well, maybe only in the publishing world, but Doubleday is really pushing for readers to pick up a copy of John Twelve Hawks's The Traveler. You may also want to check out the book's official website -- it sounds quite interactive.
Author Terry McMillan's character, Stella (How Stella Got Her Groove Back,) may have ended up with a happier ending then her creator. McMillan filed for divorce from the man she met in Jamaica after six years of marriage. McMillan's forthcoming novel is The Interruption of Everything.
The Guardian Unlimited talks with Artemis Fowl author, Eoin Colfer.
"Ten minutes isn't an awfully long time. For most people, it takes nearly that long just to locate the daily newspaper, pick out the section containing the crossword puzzle, fold it open to the correct page, settle into a comfortable chair, locate one's favorite puzzling pen or pencil, take a deep breath, and set to. But for a certain breed, the Sunday New York Times puzzle can be completed in that same 10 minutes." Don't believe it? Pick up Marc Romano's Crossworld: One Man’s Journey Into America’s Crossword Obsession. via The Boston Globe
Saturday, June 25, 2005
We've been having a bit of a problem lately with the blog. It seems that only the current days post is viewable. We are attempting to get this straightened out. Please bear with us in the meantime. Thanks!
Bookreporter.com talked to Laurie R. King, author of the Mary Russell series, about her latest release Locked Rooms. If you are unfamiliar with this outstanding series, Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes (yes, that Holmes,) travel around the world to look into various problems. In this installment the pair set of for America and look into Mary's affairs in San Francisco.
Powells.com has interviewed author David McCullough. His latest is 1776.
The USAToday offers a list of ten books that you may like to read over the summer. Included on the list are McCullough's 1776 and Elizabeths Kostova's The Historian (look for a mention of Kostova's book in the next edition of the Library newsletter in "The Reading Room" section!)
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Here's a new list: "The top 10 books about children aimed at adults." You may not see too many familiar titles on the list, but perhaps that will make them even more interesting.
The Guardian also had a chance to speak with Madonna about her children's books. She was asked questions about the moral intensity of the stories and also about her interest in Kabbala.
The Boston Globe has a number of notable book reviews:
- The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi
- A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage
- The Informant: The FBI, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Murder of Viola Liuzzo by Gary May
Friday, June 17, 2005
"A writer of the long-running hit play Late Nite Catechism asked a judge Thursday to stop her co-author from launching a spinoff that reprises the character that made the original play an international success." Which is bad news for all of those who loved the original show, no doubt.
Margaret Atwood has written an article for the Guardian Unlimited on"why we need Science Fiction."
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
"A first edition of Mein Kampf, signed by Hitler, fetched £23,800 at auction today." Which roughly translates to about $43,403 American. This particular title went to an anonymous buyer at the auction, but numerous other titles also got snatched up. Here's a picture of the book from CNN's website:
"David Cowan, who helped write an account of the blaze at Chicago's Our Lady of the Angels School that killed 95 pupils and nuns, was arrested on Thursday and charged with arson after a fire broke out in a storage building at St. Benedict's where he worked as a janitor." Cowan actually wrote two books -- both about tragic fires in Chicago.
"The New York Public Library announced Monday that it is making 700 books from classics to current best sellers available to members in digital audio form for downloading onto PCs, CD players and portable listening devices." In a world filled with iPods it certainly sounds like a logical idea, but the ABC article doesn't go into detail or give any reactions from NYPL members.
Pulitzer Prize winner, Edward P. Jones, has won yet another honor for his book, The Known World. "In a ceremony at Dublin City Hall, Jones collected the annual IMPAC Dublin Literary Award along with a check for $120,000 for his novel, which took him a decade to write."
Children's author, Jon Scieszka, sat down with a columnist from Bookslut.com to talk about his latest projects, one of which being a forthcoming adult novel.
"The New York Public Library announced Monday that it is making 700 books from classics to current best sellers available to members in digital audio form for downloading onto PCs, CD players and portable listening devices." In a world filled with iPods it certainly sounds like a logical idea, but the ABC article doesn't go into detail or give any reactions from NYPL members.
Pulitzer Prize winner, Edward P. Jones, has won yet another honor for his book, The Known World. "In a ceremony at Dublin City Hall, Jones collected the annual IMPAC Dublin Literary Award along with a check for $120,000 for his novel, which took him a decade to write."
Children's author, Jon Scieszka, sat down with a columnist from Bookslut.com to talk about his latest projects, one of which being a forthcoming adult novel.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
If you were a fan of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, you may want to pick up his new novel, The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana. In the novel, "Bodoni, who shares his name with the late-18th-century typographer, is an antiquarian book dealer who has just lost all memory of his existence, except for his reading."
"After earlier novels such as Fight Club and Diary, it doesn't seem likely that anyone would pick up a book by Chuck Palahniuk incautiously, but even so the incautious should be warned. This most recent novel is definitely not for the faint-hearted." Palahniuk's latest is titled, Haunted, and is actually made up of several short stories.
"It is one of the world's most baffling puzzles, the bane of professional cryptologists and amateur sleuths who have spent 15 years trying to solve it." The puzzle is actually a sculpture known as Kryptos, and it may appear in Dan Brown's forthcoming novel, tentatively titled The Solomon Key.
The Boston Globe has a review of Robin Cook's latest, Marker. According to the article, "Marker is a fun page-turner, and a perfect airplane novel."
Friday, June 10, 2005
"More than 100,000 books are published every year in the UK. Some go on to become multimillion bestsellers, the vast majority do not. Oliver Burkeman follows the 18-month-long journey of one novel, from the author's flash of inspiration in a pub, to the moment it hit the shelves at Books Etc." Burkeman, writing for the Guardian Unlimited, tells the tale of a book called The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists by Gideon Defoe. Yes, it's suppose to be funny. The book. And the title.
"Emerson Spartz, 18, who started a Harry Potter Web site six years ago, recently caught the attention of the author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling. He will get the chance next month to meet and interview Rowling personally." You can find Emerson's site at www.mugglenet.com -- it features a countdown to the next installment in the series as well as an opportunity to send in possible questions for Emerson to ask Rowling.
Chocolate scented doors? A bench disguised as a large crocodile? That could really only mean one thing : A museum dedicated to children's author Roald Dahl is getting ready to open in the U.K.
Have you ever wondered what R.M. Renfield's life was like after meeting Dracula? Who hasn't, right? Well, the time has come to find out. Author Tim Lucas has taken on the character in his latest novel, The Book of Renfield, A Gospel of Dracula. "Through this new treatment, Renfield's troubled childhood, and his character's later strange behavior is finally given full meaning. The conflict he endures over his compulsion to consume insects, spiders and other creatures is examined and the reason for his devotion to such an evil presence is revealed." If you are interested in this novel, you may also want to check out Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, which also deals with the legend of Dracula.
"William Peter Blatty, the author of the best-selling novel The Exorcist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter of the 1973 film of the book, has sued the producer of two Exorcist sequels, Morgan Creek Productions, for breach of contract." The author claims that he did not receive an agreed upon payment for one of the film's sequels.
